The Order of the Red Banner

Time Period: Interwar Period
Year of Institution: 1 August 1924
Country: Russia & USSR

The Order of the Red Banner (or Орден Крaсного Знамени in Russian) was the first Soviet military decoration. It was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

The Order was awarded to individuals as well as to military units, cities, ships, political and social organizations, and state enterprises. Recipients were recognized for extraordinary heroism, dedication, and courage demonstrated on the battlefield. In later years, it was also awarded on the twentieth and again on the thirtieth anniversary of military, police, or state security service without requiring participation in combat (the “Long Service Award” variant).

The Order of the Red Banner Medal Design

The Order consisted of a white-enameled badge, which had a golden hammer and sickle badge surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat on a Red Star, backed by crossed hammer, plough, torch, and a red flag bearing the motto Proletarians (Workers) of the World, Unite!.

The medal was surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat; at the bottom were the letters “SSSR” (СССР). Additional awards of the Order bore a white enameled shield with a silver sequence number at the bottom of the obverse. A recipient of multiple Orders of the Red Banner would wear a basic badge of the Order with a numeral corresponding to the sequence of the award on a cartouche over the wheat at the bottom of the badge.

The early variants of the Order were screw back badges to allow wear on clothing. Later variants (from 1943) hung from a standard Soviet pentagonal mount with a ring through the suspension loop. The mount was covered with an overlapping 24mm wide red silk moiré ribbon with 1.5mm wide white edge stripes and a 7mm wide white central stripe.

The Order of the Red Banner was worn on the left side of the chest and when in the presence of other Orders and medals of the USSR, was placed immediately after the Order of the October Revolution. If worn in the presence of Orders or medals of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.